INTRODUCTION

The term mission as it is commonly used today is not found in the bible but its implication and sense is seen as experience by Christ and his disciples. The word "MISSIONS" comes from a Latin word mitto which means "I SEND." This explains the scientific belief that for every effect there must be a cause. Mission therefore becomes an effect which is caused by God for the good and sustenance of his creatures, dear to him. God’s purpose is to reveal himself, and to achieve this purpose, God sends certain people on a mission. Those whom God sends are often called missionaries. This word means "SENT ONES." Missionaries are people sent by God to be God’s MESSENGERS and God’s WITNESSES and God’s SPOKESMEN.

Although the term mission is not mentioned in the Bible it is implicit in its analysis in the work of the early disciples. It does have much to say about God SENDING people into the world. Consider John 17:18—"As Thou (God the Father) hast sent me (Jesus Christ) into the world, even so have I (Jesus Christ) also sent them (His believers) into the world" (compare John 20:21).

In the diagram above Jesus becomes a missionary who was sent by the father to accomplish the mission of human salvation. Mission could be seen in different fields, in each field it denotes the idea of an objective; to accomplish a task which is relevant to an organization, and these could be religious, political, scientific, or economical organization.

However, from the Christian perspective mission is an initiation of Christ who was once a missionary in accomplishing the task of the father, to go to the whole world preaching the gospel and baptizing all in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy spirit. This injunction to disseminate the gospel becomes the take off point of mission and of missionaries in the Christian perspective. However, while realizing mission initiated by Christ for the well being of humanity one must be ready to adapt and integrate himself or herself into the culture of the people where he or she is received. This implies that the language, religion, philosophy and politics of the people should be the areas of concern of the missionary in order to begin his work of transformation in areas contrary to the Christian gospel. The missionary therefore helps in the restructuring of dilapidated society and helping the marginalized to gain fulfillment in an environment they have been alienated.

PREPARATION FOR MISSION

The preparation for mission involves the transformation of an individual from the egocentric stage to the religious stage of self donation to the universal church in fulfilling the injunction of Christ. Humanity must be trained on availability and readiness which involves personal surrender of will to the Holy Spirit. The preparation for mission is not a day job. It involves a total formation of the individual in order to change his or her attitude towards things and move towards the positive in appreciating humanity as gift of God irrespective of culture or geographical location. This formation helps the formed to help humanity in his mission areas to move towards the right path that leads to eternal life; the way of Christ.

 Mission involves two stages of preparation, these include; informal and formal preparation. The informal preparation is the unorganized form of formation which begins right from the time a child is born into the human society and culture. In this early stage of formation an individual is left with his or her parents as the moral guide to inform the child on the ethical and religious principles of the society. This helps the child to begin to appreciate religion and Christianity thereby responding to mission at that early stage. The family therefore is first institution for mission preparation. The formal preparation is the organized form of preparation in a recognized institution in the church. Here the individual is formed; psychologically, socially, academically, spiritually theologically and religiously under the strict invigilation of his formators approved by the church.

Jesus as a model for missionaries was involved in this informal preparation which he inculcated from his parents, Joseph and Mary, who informed him on the Jewish culture. Jesus had to be well prepared to carry out his father’s mission. He was never at a rush to begin his mission since mission involves experience since humanity is a complicated being. Thus he waited for 30years to internalize the philosophy, culture and religion of his time before he started his mission. Nevertheless, he had to embark on fasting for forty days and forty nights before he began his public ministry. This testifies the fact that mission needs a thorough preparation.

The Catholic Church as an institution considers mission as essential in realizing God’s design for humanity. In view of this the church reserves a minimum of seven years in the formation of priests in the major seminary in order to be well knowledgeable about the problems of humanity that will confront them scientifically, psychologically, pastorally, socially, religiously, politically ,economically, spiritually, morally and theologically. For Sartre; the existentialist man is a conscious being that implies that man is complex a being of itself and therefore humanity must be studied in its complexity.

SPIRITAN MISSION

Spiritans are members of the Holy Ghost congregation whose charism is to provide personnel where the church finds it difficult to get personnel these are mostly difficult and abandoned area of the poor. This congregation was founded by a young seminarian called Claude Francois Poullart des Place on the 27^th of May, 1703. The founder was ordained a priest thereafter on the 19^th of March, 1707. Claude was well placed in the society and enjoyed privileges of a noble family of Francis des Place and his wife Jeanne Le Meneust. He had a good upbringing, studied under the Jesuit; he was a talented student and most often being placed higher than other students.

However, Des Place life was characterized by his penchant to improve the condition of the poor around him. While a law student he was moved to help the homeless boys and the chimney sweeps by giving them money. While he was involved in these charitable exercises he was laying foundation for a congregation that was yet to be established in responding to the needs of the poor; this is the Holy Ghost Congregation. Though he eventually graduated as a law student his growing desire to identify with the underprivileged in the society dominated his life and compelled him thereafter to abandon his career and entered into the seminary.

Aware of the poor condition of his fellow seminarians, the young Des Place began to support them in small group financially in the spirit of one mind and one heart. Soon a dozen of these students asked him to set up a formal community, so on Pentecost Sunday, 27^th May 1703 the group met in the church of St Etienne des Gres to dedicate themselves to the Holy Spirit under the patronage of Mary.

Furthermore, this society as it was known then was triggered by the needs of the poor and the needs of the universal church in providing personnel to the most abandoned areas. The new society began to serve the needs of the poor in rural France and in mission overseas according to the needs of the church at that time. Subsequently, the needs of the church began to grow and the poorest of the people were discovered in some areas of Africa. Fr Libermann who was the General Superior then in 1848 began to send missionaries to meet the needs of the church in these poor and abandoned African nations.

As the Spiritans move round the world in response to the injunction of Christ and in response to the call of the universal church, the Spiritans concerns are; preaching the gospel to the people, psychological and spiritual healing of the people, education of the natives and self reliance training of the people.Today, the Spiritans are in Zimbabwe in response to the call of the Mutare Diocese in 1984. The missions of the Spiritans here include pastoral ministry, education and self reliance program for the people. The Spiritans character remains self donation and abandonment to the will of the Holy Spirit in fulfilling the mission of Christ.

MY PERSONAL IMPRESSION ON MISSION

Shortly, before my ordination in 2010 after my theological studies the need for mission arose even after we have chosen our respective missions, but this time in some difficult areas which corresponded to Spiritan charism. For me it was a challenge and to all my classmates. However, after reflection on my fundamental option of joining the congregation I had no option than to submit to the Holy Spirit and respond to the need of the church. I then decided to join my brothers in Zimbabwe in a mission that has been well established from the grassroots in the work of evangelization and other pastoral and social needs of the people. For me,

Mission is a response to God’s divine plan for humanity in the spirit of self donation and total abandonment to the Holy Spirit. Missionary formation therefore is the process of transformation of an individual from egocentrism to a religious state of selflessness and total surrender in service to one another.